Testing new medical technology is one of my favorite parts of being Chief Innovation Officer at Banner Peak Health.
I’ve spent the last year researching VO2 max and Zone 2 testing devices for sports physiology. I’ve finally identified the best device for our members: the VO2 Master, made by a Canada-based company.
The VO2 Master is a portable device without external tubes or wires. Like a respirator, it fits over your nose and mouth, and integrated software connects with an app you download onto your phone or tablet. It’s sufficiently accurate in metabolic testing, and Peter Attia, author of The New York Times bestseller “Outlive,” considers it his go-to device.
When used with graded exercise testing, the VO2 Master provides a wealth of information we’ll use to understand our members’ metabolic health and athletic capacity. It also hones in on areas for improvement and helps create treatment plans.
The Importance of VO2 Max
VO2 max is how much oxygen you consume per kilogram of body weight. It’s a single measurement that encompasses the function of many important bodily systems, including:
- Lung capacity: Inhaling and exhaling
- Heart and blood vessels: How efficiently and in what quantities the blood delivers oxygen
- Muscle fibers: Muscle quality and quantity
- Mitochondria: Fuel sources, like fatty acids and glucose, mix with oxygen to produce ATP for energy
- Metabolic efficiency: Insulin resistance impairs mitochondrial function
- Note: Diabetics have lower VO2 max because they can’t burn fatty acid
- Non-muscle cell body mass: Every fat cell reduces VO2 max because fat doesn’t burn oxygen
VO2 max is one of the most potent longevity predictors, a point Peter Attia makes in his book as he encourages readers to maximize their VO2 max.
The Current Challenge
Derive your VO2 max by either:
- Measuring it at maximum output
- Estimating it from other derived physiological parameters
Although many people want to know their VO2 max, only a small percentage can successfully undergo a graded exercise test (measuring it at maximum output).
Unless you have athletic training, pushing your body to its limit is difficult — even more so while wearing a gas mask. Further, individuals with risk factors for cardiovascular disease who haven’t exercised to that level of intensity risk injury.
That’s why Banner Peak Health offers a modified submax test. It doesn’t require extreme exercise, but it still estimates VO2 max accurately. Safety is our priority.
We also offer a full VO2 max test for members with prior athletic training and no risk of cardiovascular disease.
How to Improve Your VO2 Max
To improve your VO2 max, focus on your:
Lung Function
Manage any obstructive illness, such as asthma or emphysema, and tell your physician if you have a history of scarring or pneumonia.
Use techniques like belly and diaphragmatic breathing to improve air movement through your lungs.
Heart and Blood Vessels
Maintain hydration and tell your physician if you have anemia symptoms. Then, stay cardiovascularly fit through two forms of targeted aerobic training:
- HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training): Exercise involving exertion for one to five minutes at 90%–95% of your maximum heart rate, resting in between.
- Zone 2 Training: Exercise for 50–60 minutes thrice weekly at a conversational pace.
Muscle Fibers
Perform resistance training, or strength training, to increase your muscle fibers’ efficiency and quantity.
Mitochondria
Extra fat mass hormonally impairs your mitochondria’s ability to metabolize fatty acid.
Combine exercise and weight loss (reducing fat, not muscle) to reverse this and optimize mitochondrial function. Zone 2 training is particularly effective in this application.
Metabolic Efficiency
Weight loss (i.e., fat reduction) improves VO2 max since excess fat cells don’t burn oxygen. Reducing fat also improves metabolic efficiency by reducing your total kilograms of body tissue.
Looking Forward to Improvement
It’s possible to improve your VO2 max by 5%–10% in just 60–90 days. Some people have improved their VO2 max by 25% over a year.
The lower your VO2 max is now, the more room you have to improve it, and the faster that improvement may be.
VO2 Master will help you understand your health status. With that information, your Banner Peak Health team will guide you to your health and performance goals.
